I am confused about white rice and white potato

tekwriter

I was reading the second rebbutal for the paleo lifestyle:

http://paleodietlifestyle.com/paleo-debunkers-part2-nutrition/

He mentions rice and white potato. Are these okay? I skimmed through the book by Dr. Cordain but I did not see these on the list of good foods. Any advice? Also while I am here, I found a japanese yam that I loved, but it is white. Does anyone see that as a problem.

Part of the questions come from my PCP instructions, no white, no wheat and nothing that I can't grow or kill. I am going to have talk to him about the white part. Cauliflower is white.

Akimajuktuq

I completely don't get how rice is Paleo. However, I don't argue that some people are able to eat it and be fine. It is not healthy for me.

As for potatoes, I think that is a personal choice as well. I don't think they are super healthy and I do not eat them often, but I will eat potato before I would eat rice. I do occasionally have a handful of potato chips for a treat. They are also a nightshade, which is a family of plants that I have to be careful with.

I think we have to watch with generalizations, which are sometimes used to "simplify" concepts. Obviously cauliflower is a good food for most people. I think anything that is white AND is starchy or a grain or sugar is something to be cautious with. Not because those foods break the "rules" but because they cause problems for so many people.

So if you have metabolic syndrome (I would argue that anyone with excess fat does have it) it may be helpful to avoid things that make the journey to health more difficult. For me that is grains (I include rice here), legumes, sugar, fruit, veg/seed oils, starchy vegetables, and processed foods in general.

lindzmt22

There has been a lot of recent articles stating that white rice and white potato are okay on the paleo diet in moderation (although not 'technically paleo'), but mostly for active people who need more carbs. When they say 'white', they mean refined 'white' processed sugars and grains. Cauliflower is a vegetable. You're fine

MrsMason101212

The white yam is ok, it is just a variety of sweet potato.

Some primal/paleo folks will eat white potatoes occasionally but tend to avoid them because of the blood sugar effects. A lot of people say if you have a lot of weight to lose you should avoid them. I personally eat them on occasion. I think it is better to eat a natural potato than say bread or pasta.

The reason grains are frowned on is because they are a modern addition to the diet. They also cause a lot of inflammation, blood sugar spikes and digestive issues. Some of this can be avoided by preparing them properly (soaking, sprouting or fermenting) but the risks outweigh the benefits for most people. White rice is accepted by some because the outside brown part is where the anti-nutrients are (the ones we try and reduce by soaking, sprouting, and fermenting) and in white rice that is removed. It is supposed to be the most gentle grain so to speak. Again if you have a lot of weight to lose it is suggested you stay away from rice because of the carbs.

White foods is just code for white flour, white sugar and usually white potatoes. Cauliflower is LOVED by primals and paleos, have you seen mashed cauliflower and cauli-rice yet? If not check it out, it is pretty good.

I am no pro but this is my understanding. I hope I explained it in a way that made sense

monkeydharma

To summarize:

- rice is a grain, so no to a strict paleo/primal diet. But it is the least damaging of the grains (rice>oats>wheat>corn) so if you just HAD to have a cheat meal using grains, you're better off with sushi rather than pasta.

- a sweet potato is a sweet potahto (or I yam what I yam), no matter the color. Personally, I'd go with spuds of color - more color, more phytonutrients.

- beware of silly-*kitten* generalizations. Coconut milk is WHITE. Coconut OIL is white. Macadamia nuts are (off-)white.

- whether yams/rice is OK depends: if you are dieting, then no. If you are in maintenance, or need extra carbs for training, then yams are a relatively nutritious starch, and rice is a relatively innocuous grain.

bostonwolf

^well said.

jennaworksout

rice = no
potato = no

Shadowknight137

I was reading the second rebbutal for the paleo lifestyle:

http://paleodietlifestyle.com/paleo-debunkers-part2-nutrition/

He mentions rice and white potato. Are these okay? I skimmed through the book by Dr. Cordain but I did not see these on the list of good foods. Any advice? Also while I am here, I found a japanese yam that I loved, but it is white. Does anyone see that as a problem.

I think Cordain's original book is largely outdated. Meats are too lean, fat sare too low, and frowns upon saturated fat consumption. The Primal Blueprint is more modern - Carb Curve aside.

IMHO, potatoes - whether sweet, white, yams or whatever - are 100% Paleo. No question about it. Arguably moreso Paleo than coconut oil, olive oil and ghee, which are fairly "refined" to be used whereas potatoes are a whole, natural food that requires only to be cooked to be eaten. They're fairly nutritious, too, all kinds are, and have a fairly decent macro ratio.

Rice is another story altogether. It's define as a grain, sure, but it contains no gluten or anti-nutrients - it's essentially pure
starch.
I consider it safe and eat it because I find no problem with it, find it quite enjoyable with it and am aware it contains nothing that is bad for me; it's a "safe starch" in the sense that it's not dangerous or harmful to eat. Could be considered empty calories by some, buy depending on what you do (diet and training wise) is an excellent source of pure carbohydrate.

I eat these foods because I enjoy them and know that they are - however loose the term may be - perfectly healthy. Not sure if they are defined as "100% Hardcore Paleo", and I don't care for previously said reasons. I don't consider myself on a diet of any kind, and thus don't restrain myself from eating perfectly healthy (no PUFAs or HFCS) foods that don't make someone's "Eat this, Not this" list.

That and they're damn delicious. Nom!

It's mixed whether or not you should eat it if trying to lose fat - many people say it's to overconsume, but personally I find it easier to eat 700kcal of potato than I can 500kcal of rice, so it' varies in regards to satiation.

Part of the questions come from my PCP instructions, no white, no wheat and nothing that I can't grow or kill. I am going to have talk to him about the white part. Cauliflower is white.

No wheat? Legit.

Nothing you can't grow or kill?... I won't get into that, because I'm pedantic and this could go wrong.

Nothing white?... Yeah, no. As you said, cauliflower is white, well, also:
-Coconut is white
-Parsnip is white
-Bananas (with no skin) are arguably white
-Animal fat is white
-Dairy (should you consume it) is white.
-Apples (without skin) are white.
-White onions are white.
-Chicken and pork meat is white.
-Etc
-Etc

"White foods" is a term used to typically describe the non-whole-grain alternative to things such as bread and pasta, so really doesn't apply to Paleo/Primal eating.

TL;DR? Basically, just eat whole, nutrient dense foods and avoid processed foods.

Sprinkelss

I think the main thing you have to be careful of is that there isn't a universal definition of paleo like many people imagine. What I mean to say is that I follow the Autoimmune Protocol for Paleo, potatoes (especially white potatoes) are a nightshade and I avoid them like the plague. Rice i have heard is one of those "if you need to cheat" items (similar to what someone else said) HOWEVER the last time I ordered food and rice was added by accident and I decided to eat it and not waste it..I ended up extremely ill. You have to listen to your body...ALSO if you have issues with sugar or diabetes I would imagine both of those would be TERRIBLE for you because they both spike your sugar levels (something I have to be careful about.)

A wonderful resource with updated information AND protocols tailored to individual issues (autoimmune, gastro, diabetus) is Practical Paleo it includes 30 day food plans for different health issues and really is one of the best books out there currently.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008THOQVA/ref=oh_d__o01_details_o01__i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Paleo is not simply a diet to lose weight, but a permanent lifestyle change to heal your body!

dannyXoxo

People seem to forget that Paleo is a template to healthy eating. Just because one individual does not eat potatoes does not mean they aren't Paleo or healthy, it just means that individuals might not be able to eat them without suffering some GI problems. I agree that wheat and grains are not Paleo and personally I avoid them however, there are some people who advocate the removal of night shades or minimal amount of them while others who have no issues with them will eat large amount and not have any problems whatsoever. Foods such as rice and potatoes are starchy so if your trying to lose weight then I'd try and avoid them as much as possible. But if you are an athlete, training for a marathon or like me and do intense workouts daily eating a bit of rice or potatoes (I prefer sweet potatoes ;p) can help you recover faster and give you the energy you need to perform better. The idea of Paleo is to be eating natural, unprocessed food that can be found in nature. Of corse everything in moderation but if you want some wild rice have some. If I were faced with the option of rice and potato over bread... I'd take the rice and potato

tekwriter

Thanks to all for your answers. I appreciate the thought and care going into the disussion and am learning quite a bit.I have made it through the first three days again and am feeling pretty good. I have a lot to lose but have discovered a small amount of sweet potato or squash often makes the difference between feeling like I am on a diet and feeling satisfied, so I will most likely continue to have them. I am not too sure of the rice so I have been staying away from it. I have riced cauliflour and like that so will continue to use it. I imagine those are some general guidelines from the Dr. He may need to be aware of patients who over think that before giving it out, lol.